Light and Fluffy Cookies that Won't Kill Your Diet!

I've been working hard on cutting out sweets and eating less. My goal before Christmas this year is to lose 40 pounds. Not easy to say the least. I love sweets! I've been reading the Eat This, Not That books lately. Trying to get ideas of what I need to switch to. What foods are better to eat. The latest one I got from the library was Cook This, Not That: Kitchen Survival Guide. It had an amazing assortment of recipes. The first one we decided to try was cookies. Of course. In my defense, I've been jonesing for one. The recipe makes about a dozen cookies. 190 calories, 8g fat, 16g sugars. 

Enjoy! 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Make it!

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy. Stir in eggs and vanilla until well incorporated. Add the baking soda, salt and flour and mix until the dough comes together, being careful not to overmix. Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Drop the dough onto a baking sheet in balls about 3 tablespoons in size, leaving at least 3 inches between cookies. 
• Bake until the edges are golden and the middles are just barely set. Remove from the sheet and cool on a wire rack. You can sprinkle with a bit of flaky sea salt if you like as well. This draws out the flavor.
  

Making Conscious Decisions

No matter how well I think I have things planned out, I still get my dates mixed up from time to time. I did just that this week. I thought for sure it was the Monday that I was supposed to find out if I qualified for Care Link. It is the program for poor folks in Bexar county to get financial health assistance. We got up, got ready and were there early. In the back of my mind, I felt a nagging. More like a worry that I wouldn't get approval. We finally go in about 10 minutes earlier than I thought my scheduled appointment was. Told the receptionist my name. After a couple minutes, I was worrying that I hadn't truly been scheduled in. Then he finally told me that I had an appointment, but that it was next week. Not today. Talk about a mental head slap....

So I have another week to wait. I'm telling myself that it is building my strength and patience. My pains and the dizzy feelings are a daily annoyance. Especially as they strike randomly and very often when I'm sitting. It has made things difficult. My husband now does the all the driving. I have come to the decision that unless absolutely necessary, I will not risk being behind the wheel any more. I won't put myself, my family or anyone else in danger.

This type of decision does not usually get presented until a person has aged considerably and is approached by those who love them most. So it is not easily confronted by me. Just like an 80 year old woman who desperately clings to her independence, I do not like being restricted to my husbands schedule as to when I can go out. I want to be free. But at the same time, I'm very conscientious to what my actions might do to others. After all, how can I risk driving when I never know when I will get dizzy and possibly pass out. Our continual prayer is that I will soon start treatment and be back to my normal self. That I will be able to return to normal activities. 

Another decision I have made is that I will work out every day. Pain or no pain. I am currently 40 pounds over my proper weight (I've gained 10 pounds since January). I have devised a schedule that enables me to have morning devotions while feeding the baby. This is followed by cleaning up the baby and kitchen area. Once she is settled, I do my workout. I don't have the strength to do my husbands P90X or 10 minute intense workout sessions. So I'm keeping to my own pace. Don't get me wrong, I still break a sweat. I still get my heart rate up. And that is what matters in the end. Also, don't think I am giving place to vanity. Sure, I have a flabby stomach. But I have been pregnant 4 times. I have a Mom bod. Anyone who can't handle it can take a hike. On the other hand, I also have a weakened spine that is crumbling. Which means that I can't be carrying all these extra pounds. And I'm secretly hoping that this will build strength as I go. On top of my daily workout in the morning, I have decided to add in other things. I do squats while brushing my teeth. Maybe 25 jumping jacks before bed. Little workouts like these spread out, can have a huge impact. And make me feel a little better about myself. 

If you are struggling with something this far into the new year, might I suggest that you take it one day at a time? We don't change as quickly as we want. Things don't always happen the way we want them to. And sometimes a hard choice has to be made. But if you take one step after another, one day after the other and get through it like clockwork - it gets so much easier to see a big picture. Here is to the hope that one day I will be able to return to my normal way of being. Until then, I will do what I can to protect those I care about as well as those I have never met.

Inspiration for losing weight

2 weeks after giving birth to baby #3.

A friend of mine has recently reached the milestone of losing 88lbs! After gaining 75-80lbs during her pregnancy with her third child, mostly in fluid retention, she took to seriously working the weight off. She recently told me about it. "After Edward was born I thought I was going to lose weight fast. I was wrong. I lost about 20lbs fast and then I lost another 10lbs by Christmas. I didn't do anything special because I was breastfeeding Edward. I was hoping to lose more after Christmas but I didn't really  lose any weight. I was very depressed and told Avery's mom (my daughters friends mother) I needed to lose more. She suggested that I should talk to Jenny, Emma's old teachers aide. She owns a Body by Vi business. She said I should drink the milkshake with protein power from Body by Vi. It worked great and I lost other 25 lbs for about 2.5 months... And then my doctor said I should join the MyFitnessPal program. From there I read that I should eat up to 1200 calories per a day. When Ash Wednesday came around I decided to give up all sweet foods like candy, cake, etc. and no snacks. It was extremely hard for me but I did it! I lost another 20lbs in 40 days. I started eating more healthy foods like fruits and vegetables... I cut back on meats... no bread. I started drinking a lot more water and less diet Coke. From then until now, I have been watching what I eat. I'm planning to lose another 15 to 20lbs before I'm done. I'm much more happier then I was before.
Eating healthier helped me to lose the weight slowly. Doing so allowed me to lose the 88 pounds in the past year. My doctor thought I wouldn't lose weight like this, and I'm going to show him just how wrong he was at my next appointment on January 29th when I take Edward to his check up appointment.
Another thing I did to lose weight was drink Silk Pure Almond unsweetened with vanilla in my Body by Vi protein powder shake. It helped me to feel full. I only had to drink it twice a day."

2 weeks after her baby delivery on the left, a couple weeks ago on the right!
She's done an amazing job. And she's a wonderful mom. Love hanging out with her and hearing about her success! Thanks for sharing Alisa. 

 The right side is the most recent showing her loss of 88lbs.